Girdles



GIRDLES 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Jan. 21, 1959 CHARLES K. WANISH United States Patent GIRDLES Charles K. Wanish, Cortland, N.Y. Application January 21, 1959, Serial No. 788,114

2 Claims. (Cl. 128-548) This invention relates to the art of womens garments and particularly concerns an improved undergarment of the girdle or corset type.

According to the invention there is provided a garment having elastic side panels with elastic reinforcements to prevent the garment from riding up when in use.

A principal object of the invention is to provide an undergarment with extra elastic reinforcements at the bottom so that the garment does not ride up during active body movements of the wearer.

Undergarments such as girdles, corsets and corselettes are frequently made of strips of some fabric alternating with strips of two-way stretch elastic webbing which enables the garment to bind closely around the waist and over the hips of the wearer. Various expedients which have been suggested for insuring that these types of garments do not ride up when in use have not been wholly satisfactory or successful. Use of an elastic band secured around the bottom of the garment has proven very uncomfortable to wear and binding on the legs. It induces excessive perspiration so that the wearer cannot wear the garment for extended periods throughout a day, and when the wearer perspires, the garment slips and rides up to defeat the purpose of the elastic band.

In the present invention, the elastic fabric reinforcements are disposed for exerting optimum pressure at the sides of the wearer where no interference with walking or other body movements are caused, while riding up of the garment and twisting of the garment are prevented and excessive perspiration is avoided.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a girdle embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the gridle of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the garment of Figs. 1-3 in an open condition.

Figs. 5 and 6 are plan views of portions of the reverse side of the open garment of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a girdle or corselette formed with panels numbered consecutively Iii-17. Panel 16 is the front panel of the garment and is provided with an upper elastic fabric section 13 or insert to provide a snug fit at the waist of the wearer. Panels and 14 are made of one-Way stretch elastic fabric. They overlay the hips of the wearer so that the garment fits the wearers body snugly. These elastic panels are located at the sides of the body and are located generally parallel to the direction of movement of the legs of the wearer so that they do not interfere with walking and sitting movements.

The inner sides of the panels 10 and 14 are woven with ribs 25 providing frictional gripping surfaces on the body of the wearer. The panels 10 and 14 stretch only in the direction of their width parallel to their top edges 21, 23 and bottom edges 22, 24. The bottom edges 22 and 24 of the panels 10 and 14 are disposed horizontally when the garment is worn and are generally parallel to the top edges of the panels. Two reinforcing strips or bands 26 and 28 of elastic fabric are disposed on the outside of the panels 10, 14 at their lower edges and secured by single lines of stitching 30. The bands 26 are disposed on a bias to the lower edges 22, 24 and are stretchable longitudinally in the direction of length of the bands and at an acute angle to the edges 2144. The disposition on a bias of the bands 26, 28 and their attachment by single lines of stitching 30 and 32 at their top edges angularly disposed to the lower edges 22 and 24, as clearly shown in Figs. 5 and 6, leaves substantially the entire extent of the bands free to expand and contract. The bands overlap and extend below the lower edges 22, 24 to provide free triangular elastic sections 26 and 28 Thus, the bands 26, 28 provide restraining forces on the garment angularly directed to forces directed parallel to edges 21, 22 and 23, 24 which would tend to twist the garment around the body of the wearer, and to forces directed perpendicular to the edges 21-24 which would tend to make the garment ride up. The biased disposition of the reinforcing bands are thus effective to prevent twisting and riding up of the garment.

The garment can be of open construction type as shown in Fig. 4 with hooks 33 disposed on the free edge 35 of panel 17 and mating loops 34 disposed near free edge 36 of panel 10 for engagement with hooks. If desired, other types of closure can be used such as slide fasteners, laces, clasps, or the like. The fabric panels 1143 and 15-47 can be made of any desired inelastic fabric. The elastic fabric panels 10 and 14 are preferably of one-way stretch type as above mentioned, being elastic in the direction of their Width and inelastic in the direction of their length between the upper and lower edges.

Use of the short, narrow reinforcing bands 26 and 23 accomplishes an economy in use of elastic fabric material over continuous elastic bands heretofore used and in addition provides a more satisfactory, comfortable and efficient construction, effectively preventing twisting of the garment around the body of the wearer as Well as preventing riding up of the garment.

Figs. 5 and 6 clearly show the biased disposition of the bands 26 and 23 with respect to the lower edges 22 and 24 of panels 10, 14. The invention is applicable to long or short garments. Suitable garters 40 can be attached to the panels where required.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that i do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent 1s:

1. A girdle comprising a generally rectangular body having a plurality of connected panels of inelastic material, a pair of long generally rectangular one-way stretch elastic panels secured to the inelastic panels for overlaying the hips of a wearer and frictionally gripping the same, the long panels being stretchable only horizontally in the direction of width parallel to top and bottom edges thereof, said long panels extending vertically from top to bottom edges of said body for molding the figure of the wearer, and a pair of elongated elastic bands respectively having upper edges secured near the bottom edge of each long panel so that upper portions of the bands overlap lower ends of the long panels, lower portions of the bands being free and extending below the lower ends of the long panels to fit snugly on the wearers hips, each of said bands being stretchableonly in the direction of its length at an angle to thehorizontal direction of stretchability of the long panels to prevent riding up and twisting of the girdle on the wearer.

2. A girdle comprising a generally rectangular body having a plurality of connected panels of inelastic material, a pair of'long generally rectangular one-way stretch elastic panels secured to the inelastic panels for overlaying the hips of a wearer and frictionally gripping the same, the long panels being stretchable only horizontally in the direction of width parallel to top and bottom edges thereof, said long panels extending vertically from top to bottom edges of said body for molding the figure of the wearer, and a pair of elongated elastic bands respectively havingupper edges secured near the bottom edge of each long panel so that upper portions of the bands overlap lower ends of the long panels, lower portions of the bands being free and extending below the lower ends of the long panels to fit snugly on the wearers hips, each of said bands being stretchable only in the direction of its length at an angle to the horizontal direction of stretchability of the long panels to prevent riding up and twisting of the girdle on the wearer, two of the panels being provided with detachable mutually engageable closure means so that the girdle can be opened from top to bottom thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Kops Mar. 8, 1932 

